LEGAL/MILITARY: “A military judge has found that U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl should serve no prison time for endangering his comrades by walking off his Afghanistan post.
The judge also gave Mr. Bergdahl a dishonorable discharge, reduced his rank to private and said he must forfeit pay equal to $1,000 a month for 10 months. The judge made no other comments.
Mr. Bergdahl appeared tense, grimaced and clenched his jaw. His attorneys put their arms around him and one patted him on the back.
He pleaded guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy and had faced up to life in prison. The judge had wide leeway because Mr. Bergdahl made no deal with prosecutors to limit his sentence.
Prosecutors had sought stiff punishment because of wounds to service members who searched for Mr. Bergdahl after he disappeared in 2009. He was held captive by Taliban allies for five years.
The defense sought to counter that evidence with testimony about Mr. Bergdahl’s suffering during five years as a captive of Taliban allies, his contributions to military intelligence and survival instruction and his mental health problems.”
-Associated Press, “Bowe Bergdahl Gets Dishonorable Discharge, Avoids Jail Time,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 3, 2017 12:20pm